I already blogged today about my optimism for some of the future technologies worth watching. What I didnt mention is that I havent seen activity like I have this week ever before. What I am referring to is the week between Christmas and New Years which is the deadest time in our business.
It you look at the last few years in reverse order, 2003 was terrible as we were about to go to war. 2002 was terrible because of the bubble bursting and lasting effects of 911. 2001 was obviously terrible due to 911. 2000 was slow because of Y2K fears.
So getting back to this week, the orders are pouring in and it is unprecedented. This is important because TMC is an optimism barometer for the contact center/CRM and VoIP markets. When business is good for us it is a sign that the industry as a whole thinks the future will be bright.
We are gearing up for an amazing Q1. Internet Telephony Magazine is by far the fattest magazine in its market because we not only attract lots of new customers but we are keeping more of or past advertisers than ever before. We just increased our circulation by over 30% to 40,000! The magazine is now available internationally and we have a larger international circulation than any competitive magazine.
The upcoming Internet Telephony Show in Miami is going to sell out and the show hotel will sell out very soon as well. This will be the third exhibit hall and show hotel we have sold out in a row.
Customer Interaction Solutions Magazine is doing well and has the highest marketshare in the category and we anticipate healthy growth based on the past quarter as well as the orders coming in this week alone.
So when you toast your change glass on Friday, please make a second virtual toast with me and the communications market. Here is to a healthy, happy and financially prosperous new year for all.
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Biometrics will see explosive growth during 2005.
I am glad you mentioned this because I was thinking about the biometrics space after this post and was wondering if it made sense to mention it. Having held 2 BiometriTech shows in the last few years I had high hopes for the market. Having lived in the space I have noticed that most of the players are academics who dont understand PR or marketing. It doesnt appear that the players have changed or improved. There is also a major lack of funding. There are about 5 tier one companies that understand the business world, the rest seem like they will never get anywhere.
Either the industry will rally together and formally educate the public and create a buzz that will generate demand or they may continue to grow slowly.
Still I believe the technology is severely under-penetrated.
Part of the reason may the public's unwillingness to give the technology a shot. Like other technologies, a critical mass may need to be reached for massive adoption to occur. I am not sure when that point is on our calendar but my gut tells me it is at least a few years away.
If a few of the top stocks in the category have tremendous amounts of growth, it may serve as the catalyst to ignite the market. That could potentially happen in 2005.